‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Review: ‘A Star Is Born In Storm Reid’

Ava DuVernay's latest film is in theaters Friday.

A Wrinkle in Time is a Disney film you have never seen. A sci-fi, children’s film directed by a Black woman, Ava DuVernary, starring an unknown actress named Storm Reid and a seriously inclusive cast that isn’t tokenism, but fair representation.

While this is a film for kids, the movie challenges you to find the child within yourself. As Ava told Collider.com, “This is a film for young people and people who are young at heart. I had to ask myself, do I still have a heart? Is there still an inner child in me? Can I tap into the 11-year-old, 12-year-old and 13-year-old in me, and find that light that I used to have, that dreamer?” By the end of the film, it’s nearly impossible to not find that dreamer within you and considering the corrupt times we are living in today, a piece of a dream might redirect your path.

The heart of A Wrinkle in Time is Storm Reid who plays Meg Murry, a young girl struggling with the disappearance of her father four years ago. Reid lights up the screen, injecting each frame with emotions that vary from sadness to hope to reinvention. Although the 14-year-old has appeared in a handful of movies over the past six years, this film is her moment. I would liken Reid in A Wrinkle in Time to Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, she is about to blast off in the best way possible. A star is born in Storm Reid.

The film also includes Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and the legendary Oprah Winfrey, who play three women from the universe helping Meg find her father. Her little brother Charles Wallace (played by a Deric McCabe, who is Filipino) and school crush (Levi Miller) join Meg on the journey. While bouncing from various planets, Meg is forced to face her insecurities, doubts and faults to find her father (Chris Pine). The dialogue is filled with teachable and accessible one-liners, especially from Oprah’s character — my personal favorite was, “Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”

Although Ava is a master at films that are focused on the script and not high-octane special effects, she effortlessly slipped into this CGI-ed filled dance on screen. The visuals are stunning with rich colors and magnificent cinematography that still has a touch of DuVernay. Moreover, A Wrinkle in Time is her first feature film she did not write, but she never lost her voice. You see Ava and all of that Black girl magic in every frame. As she said at the NAACP Image Awards in January, “This is our time. We can say we were here when all this gorgeous art was happening, and that we supported it — that we lifted each other up, that we did as Dr. King said we would do: Live the dream. We are the dream!”